PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Environment and Forests Minister Syed Muhammad Ishtiaq on Sunday said that water metres would be installed at cars washing stations to curb the massive misuse of potable water in the province.
In an exclusive interview with APP, he said Pakistan was confronted with a major challenge of water shortage and wastage of clean drinking water could not be allowed at car washing stations in the province.
He said that the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has started action against those car washing stations, which were operating illegally or involved in wastage of water. Moreover, the agency was issuing notices to concerned owners with direction to install water meters at earliest.
The minister said the provincial government was committed to regulating this business by installing water metres at these stations at all cost and heavy fine would be imposed against violators.
Millions of gallon of clean drinking water have been wasted at thousands of car wash stations due to lack of proper mechanism owing to the lacklustre approach of the past regimes in the country.
“The PTI government has taken a lead role by directing the owners of these stations to install water metres and upon failure heavy fines would be imposed besides sealing of the stations,” he said.
The massive misuse of water at most of these stations was not only causing dropping of groundwater table but also leading to water pollution by draining chemically contaminated water in the sewerage lines.
The draining of chemically contaminated water after washing of vehicles was also making negative effects on the life of water species.
Car wash business was being considered most lucrative as it involves comparatively smaller capital for setting up a station. In Peshawar, Rs200 was being charged for washing car’s body only while detailed service takes Rs400.
During car wash, massive potable water was being wasted on most of these stations where water was being drilled via electric pumps, causing substantial economic loss to the national kitty in the water-starved country.
In populated areas, water connections for these stations were mostly offered from the main water supply line and domestic consumers were adversely suffer due to colossal use of potable water for the cleaning of vehicles.
As per international standards, about 40 per cent of the river flows were required to be stored whereas Pakistan had only 13.29 million-acre feet (MAF) storage against the required standard of 58 MAF, which should be a matter of great concern for policy makers and planners.
The high population growth, misuse of water, climate change, poor water management, lack of political will and urbanisation were the main reasons behind the water and energy crisis in the country.
